Only a Third of Companies Offer Formal HR Leadership Development Programs
Organizations that offer an HR Leadership Development Program (HRLDP) do so to feed the succession pipeline and/or to make HR more strategic, but few actually offer such a program, according to a recent study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp).
Only 29% of respondents said their organization offers a formal HRLDP. Of those that do, 62% said that such programs – to a high or very high extent – feed their succession pipeline, make HR more strategic (62%), improve performance of HR practitioners (58%), identify high-potential employees within HR (57%) or attract strong HR talent (34%). Nevertheless, most of the respondents acknowledge that participation in the HRLDP is limited.
“It’s encouraging that the companies that have HR leadership development programs are focusing on strategy and performance,” said Jay Jamrog, SVP of research at i4cp. “But the apparent lack of participation overall is somewhat troubling. Especially in this economy, all companies need to be looking more closely at their existing talent to sustain and grow their business in the long term.
” The length of HRLDPs varies, with 16% of respondents saying the programs last less than six months, 28% saying between half a year and a year, and 31% reporting a time frame of between one and two years. A quarter of respondents said their programs last more than two years. Almost 40% of respondents said that HRLDP participants are required to partake in job rotations as part of their development.
HR leaders in these programs are developed through a variety of means. Company-developed training is the most common approach, with 60% of respondents saying that their organization uses the practice to a high or very high degree. Group projects (48%), stretch assignments (40%), 360-degree feedback (38%) and individual coaching (38%) are among the other most-utilized development methods.
The HR Leadership Program Pulse Survey was conducted by i4cp in May 2009. A total of 308 respondents participated in the survey. The full results of the survey are available exclusively for all i4cp corporate members.
About i4cp, inc.
i4cp is the world's largest vendor-free network of corporations focused on improving workforce productivity. Our vendor-free community facilitates innovation by giving our members - among the largest and most respected organizations in the world - access to:
Only 29% of respondents said their organization offers a formal HRLDP. Of those that do, 62% said that such programs – to a high or very high extent – feed their succession pipeline, make HR more strategic (62%), improve performance of HR practitioners (58%), identify high-potential employees within HR (57%) or attract strong HR talent (34%). Nevertheless, most of the respondents acknowledge that participation in the HRLDP is limited.
“It’s encouraging that the companies that have HR leadership development programs are focusing on strategy and performance,” said Jay Jamrog, SVP of research at i4cp. “But the apparent lack of participation overall is somewhat troubling. Especially in this economy, all companies need to be looking more closely at their existing talent to sustain and grow their business in the long term.
” The length of HRLDPs varies, with 16% of respondents saying the programs last less than six months, 28% saying between half a year and a year, and 31% reporting a time frame of between one and two years. A quarter of respondents said their programs last more than two years. Almost 40% of respondents said that HRLDP participants are required to partake in job rotations as part of their development.
HR leaders in these programs are developed through a variety of means. Company-developed training is the most common approach, with 60% of respondents saying that their organization uses the practice to a high or very high degree. Group projects (48%), stretch assignments (40%), 360-degree feedback (38%) and individual coaching (38%) are among the other most-utilized development methods.
The HR Leadership Program Pulse Survey was conducted by i4cp in May 2009. A total of 308 respondents participated in the survey. The full results of the survey are available exclusively for all i4cp corporate members.
About i4cp, inc.
i4cp is the world's largest vendor-free network of corporations focused on improving workforce productivity. Our vendor-free community facilitates innovation by giving our members - among the largest and most respected organizations in the world - access to:
- Peers to spark new ideas and prevent "reinventing the wheel,"
- Research to enable members to understand current practices and next practices,
- Tools to put ideas and research into action,
- Technology to enable members to easily access tailored information and execute workforce strategies.
